black, Black, BLACK!!!!! is there a pattern?

So right now the running joke of the perfume industry is naming a new fragrance "Black" whether or not it has to do with the lack of color (or all the colors depending on your pov). But I have to admit, with each new "Black" fragrance, I'm equally intrigued. Will it be dark? Will it be sexy? Will it be completely off the wall? Every time I turn around there''s a new Black frag staring at me!

For the most part, most of the Black frags I've tried resulted in something sweet, sometimes powdery. Also it seems like these Black frags are to cater to the younger wearers. But what is BLACK other than something of a buzzword to tack on the end of your perfume's name? (Stuff like Versace Black Jeans, Bulgari Black or Salvador Dali's Black Sun don't count as they don't seem to be "flankers" or something already established with "black" tagged on).

Re: black, Black, BLACK!!!!! is there a pattern?

Yeah, Kouros Double Yellow. Marketing concept: hairless, well-muscled man in an impeccably tailored diaper points at the ground, triceps flexed, and implores readers of GQ to "cross the Double Yellow line." And after that it should be easy to sell the people at Bulgari on Bulgari Black Yellow, which would be shaped like a rubber urinal cake and smell roughly like a rubber urinal cake. I bet we could get bailout money for this.

Re: black, Black, BLACK!!!!! is there a pattern?

Originally Posted by Strollyourlobster

Yeah, Kouros Double Yellow. Marketing concept: hairless, well-muscled man in an impeccably tailored diaper points at the ground, triceps flexed, and implores readers of GQ to "cross the Double Yellow line." And after that it should be easy to sell the people at Bulgari on Bulgari Black Yellow, which would be shaped like a rubber urinal cake and smell roughly like a rubber urinal cake. I bet we could get bailout money for this.

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Re: black, Black, BLACK!!!!! is there a pattern?

Im a big fan of Kenenth Cole Black, but I must admit there is nothing black, and the bottle/name seem very arbitrary, as if they just randomly came up with it and figured it was good enough. It's smells good enough, though. I just wish some more effort was put into the presentation.

Re: black, Black, BLACK!!!!! is there a pattern?

What's funny is my mother is always looking for black electronic equipment but can never find it around here.

OK, maybe not the greatest example ever. Maybe I should have mentioned Apple/Mac and their penchant for glossy white (great computers, but they look cheap)

When I was a kid, hi-fi gear was almost always silver (or more precisely, brushed aluminum), often with wood trim. Then in the 80s, everything turned black. Maybe the fashion has changed again. I admit that I don't follow it very closely.

Re: black, Black, BLACK!!!!! is there a pattern?

I love that 'Spinal Tap' "Death sells" perfect. "It can't get any blacker than that".

For all the color purists out there, black is either the absence of color as in light (subtractive theory) or all colors combined as in opaque paint (additive). This could be applied to perfume if you don't have anything else to do.

I also like to think of SpongeBob Black containing squid ink & Bob on the box in black tie & tuxedo.

Re: black, Black, BLACK!!!!! is there a pattern?

Originally Posted by kumquat

I love that 'Spinal Tap' "Death sells" perfect. "It can't get any blacker than that".

For all the color purists out there, black is either the absence of color as in light (subtractive theory) or all colors combined as in opaque paint (additive). This could be applied to perfume if you don't have anything else to do.

I also like to think of SpongeBob Black containing squid ink & Bob on the box in black tie & tuxedo.

Actually, K, it is the other way around, if you will allow me to be picky

Adding all visible light wavelengths together actually gives "white" in a way (aka, white light). Absence of light is not really black, it is just dark, i.e., no light energy.

Adding all paint colors, but specifically the primaries gives mostly black, but really it is mucky and dark. Subtractive printing primaries (CMYK) allow for rather good reproduction of most colors. When white light falls on colored pigment, it reflects the wavelength which defines its color and absorbs all the others. If the same pigment is viewed under a colored light source it won't look the same. So, even subtractive mixing relies on white light!

Anyway, tangential side tour from an optical physicist...

I didn't really notice the black/noir naming trend, so I appreciate it being pointed out to me. It does seem like it has a wide range of associations from being classic (little black dress) to being mysterious (shrouded in shadow) or tough (black leather chaps and a bull whip).